The Decans - 36 of the Minor Arcana set to the wheel of the Zodiac

Tarot can be used for personal readings to much effect, but what some may not realize is that it is also a unique microscope through which one can view specific details and influences within the Zodiac. Using this method yields a quite useful profile of your Birth Chart, while also addressing specific challenges and how to achieve greater harmony in ways that are unique to you.

In the Tarot we have the Minor Arcana which are comprised of 36 "small cards", 40 if you count the four Aces. These cards (excluding the Aces) can be seen as subdivisions of the 12 signs of the Zodiac, called Decans or Decanates. The 36 Decans illustrate how each sign has within it 3 distinct expressions, so one can say that there are in fact 36 signs of the Zodiac, not just 12. The numbers 2 through 10 are displayed four times on the Zodiac wheel, each number forming a 90 degree Cross, and with each "arm" of the four-armed Cross representing one of the four elements. We have a Cross of 2s, a Cross of 3s, a Cross of 4s, etc., etc.

Each subdivision of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac is 10 degress in duration. The combination of the 3 Decans (deca meaning 10) then gives you the 30 degrees of a Sign. Each Decan or Minor Arcana card also corresponds directly to a Sephirah on the Tree of Life of the same number. Just remember that the Decanates arethe Sephiroth that arethe Minor Arcana. They all describe the same thing and compliment one another. Each Sephirah on the Tree of Life represents one of these Crosses. Understanding the influence of the individual planets is important (see the Planets page), but when you filter the archetypal information of a planet through the influence of particular Decan in your Birth Chart, much useful information will be made available as to the basic nature your own existential awareness and how to balance certain elements in your life being the Spiritual, Emotional, Mental and Physical. This is especially true concerning one's Cross. Tarot, Numerology and Kabbalah and even the I Ching allow one to see Astrology as a more fractal-like structure, giving great meaning, detail and accuracy to astrological interpretation.

Above is a useful way of understanding the Minor Arcana and Decans in terms of their Kabbalistic source. I decided to draw this colored Tree of Life simply because it solves a lot of conceptual problems an individual might have when first looking into the subject. From looking at the colored Tree of Life it becomes very simple right off the bat as one can see both what the Kabbalistic "Four Worlds" represent, and also how the astrological Decans and Minor Arcana map to the Tree of Life itself. If someone for example has Jupiter within the first 10 degrees of Leo, we can interpret this as Jupiter in the 5 of Wands, or Jupiter in the Fire portion of Geburah, the 5th sphere of the Tree of Life. Even if one is doing a Tarot reading it's still very useful to understand the cards' corresponding placement and influence within the Tree of Life diagram.

As you can see each of the ten sephiroth has four elemental expressions within it. 10 x 4 = the 40 Minor Arcana cards. Each of the four elements as expressed in the Tree of Life represents one of the four Kabbalistic "worlds" being:

We can also think of these four worlds as the Tree of Fire, the Tree of Water, the Tree of Air and the Tree of Earth. If we look again, for example, at someone with Jupiter within the 5 of Wands decan, we would say his Jupiter is within the Atziluth (spirit) of Geburah (strength). If however Jupiter were in the 6 of Cups Decan, it would be Briah (creation) of Tipareth (beauty). If it were in the 10 of Disks it would be Assiah (material) of Malkuth (the kingdom), etc., etc.

Of course one can make a study of the vast hierarchy of angels (archetypal intelligences) within the Kabbalistic system, but keeping it simple and understanding the basics of how all this relates to your own psychology and your own inner archetypal landscape is where the real power is. Beyond these "bare-boned" yet crucial basics one is absolutely free to twiddle with an infinite array of correspondences if they choose, even ones an individual may make up himself, but it's not 100% necessary.

The Minor Arcana (Decans) with their Planetary Correspondences

Each card of the Minor Arcana has a planet associated with it to help explain the dynamics of that particular card. For example, look at the Two of Wands which is the first Decan of the Cardinal Fire sign Aries. The planet associated with this card is Mars. The title of this card is Dominion and signifies male creative energy bursting forth and potentially destroying that which is in its path. The action of Mars is not entirely negative in this respect. Sometimes things need to be "destroyed" in order to be reformed, or for outmoded and outdated to give way to the new and improved. Being the very first Decanate of the very first sign, the Two of Wands in the sign of Aries is a sort of a grand uprooting of all the possible stagnant energy that may have accumulated in the time leading up to it. This card signifies the turbulence of new beginnings, of breaking the mold and bringing new life, fresh ideas, and intense creativity into ones sphere of being. Aries is the sign, at least in the northern hemisphere, which signifies the arrival of Springtime emerging out of the cold Winter months before it. It is a time of supplanting the old with the new.

On each card of the Minor Arcana you will see the proper symbols indicating the planetary rulerships of that card. These symbols will be placed in various areas depending on the card and are not the same for each. If you are looking at the card indicating 10 to 20 degrees of Libra, the Three of Swords, Sorrow, you will see the symbol of Libra and also the symbol of Saturn. If you are looking at the card indicating 0 to 10 degrees of Libra, the Two of Swords, Peace, it follows that you will see the symbol of Libra along with the symbol of its descriptive corresponding planet, the Moon.

Some feel that these traditional planetary correspondences are antiquated and have even changed some of them. While I do agree that it is perfectly alright to change things to make better sense of them, the current correspondences shown here and on the cards serve well enough to describe the tone of each card. You will also notice that there is a pattern with these correspondences. Beginning with Aries, the planets follow the repeating pattern of Mars-Sun-Venus-Mercury-Moon-Saturn-Jupiter. These are the 7 traditional planets of Astrology and this pattern is repeated 5 times around the Zodiac plus one more Mars correspondence in the last Decan of Pisces.

The Four Worlds

Archetypal (spiritual) World

Creative (emotional) World

Formative (mental) World

Material (physical) World

The Four Worlds of Kabbalah have their reflection in many spiritual systems around the world, and the number 4 itself has many correlations and correspondences one could mention. In one episode of John Anthony West's documentary Magical Egypt, P.D. Ouspensky is quoted from his book Symbolism of the Tarot:

After I learned the first three numbers I was given to understand the great law of Four - the alpha and omega of all.

"I am the Great Law" the Emperor said. "I am the name of God. The four letters of his name are in me, and I am in all."

"I am in the four principles. I am in the four elements. I am in the four seasons. I am in the four cardinal points. I am in the four signs of Tarot."

"I am the beginning: I am action. I am completion. I am the result. For him who knows how to see me there are no mysteries on earth."

This is basically a poetic way of describing the reconciliation of dualities in the Universe of which there are many talismans, symbols, stories and ways of seeing. In Lon Milo DuQuette's book Chicken Qabalah, on page 79, he gives a somewhat humorous story as to how the Four Worlds operate by picturing them as a single 4 story building. The top floor corresponds to Atziluth, the 3rd floor to Briah, the 2nd floor to Yetzirah and the 1st floor to Assiah. Within these different floors are different "modes of being" that help in the process of creation, of bringing the "highest" world of Atziluth-like conception down into the material realm of Assiah. These four stages are generally what everyone engages in at various points in the creative process. Within the story, the creative process is illustrated through the simple existence of chairs, that is their conception, creation, form and material. We have the first basic concept of "sit," being the first general "is-ness" of the world of Atziluth - conception. Then comes the many creative inspirations, ideas, aesthetics, and excited "aha" moments of the world of Briah - the creative. After this stage comes actual measurement, planing, trial and error, cutting, assembling, etc., of the Yetziratic world of mind and formation. Then, of course, we come to the actual "world" of chairs, whole and complete unto themselves, within Assiah.

Others may include:North Up Sunrise Birth Spring Full MoonSouth Down Noon Youth Summer WaningEast Left Sunset Maturity Fall New MoonWest Right Midnight Death Winter Waxing

Both nature and consciousness mirror one another in these basic four principles. As discussed on the Cross of Elements page, there is both a soul within and a "world soul" without, and as Kuhn stated:

Nature reflects the soul's own divine forms back to it.

These "forms" are also illustrated in Platonic metaphysics as illustrated in this video called Platonism & Alchemy. One can think whatever they want about Plato, but when human experience is divided into four separate modes of being like this one can easily see the Tarot and Kabbalistic correlations. There are many correspondences one could make, and it doesn't have to be rooted at all in Platonism. But, the keywords and descriptions used to illustrate each of these four "worlds" in the Platonism video match nearly perfectly the interpretations of the Four Worlds of Kabbalah, and hence also to the four suits of Tarot and the four elements in Astrology. One could create a synthesis of the same basic principles as found in Kabbalah, Tarot, Astrology, and the I Ching with the Platonic Tetralogies and metaphysics as illustrated in the video.

Always remember that when dealing with metaphysical systems, it is good to be rooted both in tradition but to also allow for a little leg room with free association. This can allow for greater synthesis between seemingly disparate systems and one may find many interesting correlations and points of agreement between them. For example, someone familiar with astrology and the I Ching might say "But, fire signs do not resonate with Yin and the Moon, so that category and correspondence is 'wrong.'" Superficially this seems to be a true statement, but throughout the Kabbalah, Astrology, Tarot and also the I Ching, we find positive and negative charges intertwined in various ways, that is, we find Yin within Yang and Yang within Yin. This principle is shown within the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching and also within the Taoist Yin/Yang symbol itself.

In the chart above one may wonder exactly which way things are "moving." That is, are they moving from left to right, from "lesser to greater," or from right to left, from "greater to lesser." The correct answer is that it is both, even though in the Platonism and Alchemy video the lecturer draws one arrow, implying motion going in only one direction. There is both involution and evolution, a constant churning like motion between the dualities where different qualities are exchanged. Kuhn has written much about this dynamic, for example in his Tree of Knowledge work where he uses the life of a tree as the perfect analogy and symbol of personal cultivation and maturation as one relates to his or her environment. When looking at the Kabbalistic Tree of Life diagram, understand that there is a descending and an ascending here as well, an involution and evolution. There is the lightning path striking down the tree and the serpent path coiling up the tree. As stated on the Tarot and the Tree of Life page, Kabbalists describe the topmost sphere of Kether as being a kind of "illusion," that it is simply a "Malkuth" of the next world. So it is with the above graph. One may wonder ifhe were moving from the furthest left to the furthest right in a linear fashion, "what happens beyond the 'greater of the greater' stage then?" The answer is one moves right back into Malkuth, Assiah, and the Earth like a feedback loop. In other words, the E is really the next A where the snake bites it's tail. As one ascends, one also descends, and as one reaches an "exalted pinnacle" one is simultaneously borne upon the wings of the "lowest physical" in the same moment with new zest and a heightened perspective of the inner workings of this unbroken chain of Universal Yin/Yang dynamics. Spirit and matter merge. All ends are really beginnings. Balance between all readily conceived opposites in this way can only be appreciated from the still point in the center of Jupiter's 10 spoked wheel; the true Axis Mundi, i.e., you (discussed further on the Jupiter section of the Planets page).Within the I Ching it's stated that the Yang force ascends whereas the Yin force descends. Therefore, moving from left to right in the above chart is an ascent, whereas moving from right to left would be a descent. This is evolution and involution. One may also consider it exclusive (evolution, Yang-rising, the outer directed mind seeing contrast)and inclusive (involution, Yin-descending, the inner directed soul and experience of Union within the whole). There are also many ways one may interchange certain Yin/Yang principles. One might say that the feminine is "outer directed" and social, whereas the masculine is "inner-directed" and individual. It depends on how you wish to speak of these influences. Within the Yin side of the Yin/Yang symbol is the Yang eye, and within the Yang side of the Yin/Yang symbol is a Yin eye. These small eyes may be considered highly concentrated versions of the other. So within the Yin, we see a highly concentrated version of the Yang, a point of understanding of Yang that is encapsulated within Yin. Within the Yang, we see a highly concentrated version of Yin, a point of understanding that Yang has about it's "Yin interior." Within Kabbalah this is described as men having feminine souls and women have masculine souls. Within Jungian psychology it is the Anima and the Animus. When these areas become imbalanced or radicalized, men tend to become too passive and Yin, and women too aggressive and Yang. Another way of saying this is that the "masculine perspective" becomes too passive and the "feminine perspective" becomes too aggressive. When there is a lack of self awareness, the concentrated Yin/Yang eyes as they are imbedded in their opposite become blind to themselves and likewise to the whole.

"Love is the Law, Love under Will."The Yin & the YangThe Sword & the CupThe Spear & the Grail

I've discussed the importance of the symbolism of masculine and feminine and the sword and the cup in my first 4 or so podcasts here. Remember in the Platonic chart above that we have "Yang ascending" and "Yin descending" from the I Ching perspective. This is just one way of conceptualizing the interaction of masculine and feminine polarities. Another way of viewing this is in the famous line from the Book of the Law which states:

Love is the Law, Love under Will. - ch1 v57

This single sentence sums up the polarities of Yin and Yang, positive and negative, masculine and feminine, etc. etc.. The "Will" from an astrological perspective is shown in the masculine Air and Fire signs, signs of a "positive charge," which in Tarot are the suit of Swords and the suit of Wands, mind and spirit. The amalgamated symbol of both Swords and Wands is found within the Spear or what's called the "Spear of Destiny." The "Love" from this same perspective equates to the Cups and Disks of Tarot, corresponding to Water and Earth signs, emotion and material/physical.

Will

Love

One way to conceptualize the elements is to think of Cups-Water as the next fractal level up from Disks-Earth, and Wands-Fire as the next fractal up from Swords-Air. These pairings are different expressions but carry the same "charge," just as the Greater is to the Greater and the Lesser is to the Lesser in the modified platonic chart above. For example, the emotions we feel (water and water signs) are mirrored in the different chemicals of the actual physical world of the body (earth and earth signs) though on a more refined level. Emotions represent your ability to feel and listen to the world around and within you, and the actual molecular structure of things like dopamine, serotonin, etc., deeply affect your mood, but it's also vice versa where mood can affect the production of these chemical codes. You could say "water carries the messages of the earth" and vice versa. This can also be applied to the mind (air and air signs) being mirrored in the higher functioning or frequencies of the spirit (fire and fire signs). You could say "fire carries the messages of air," or vice versa, " mind carries messages of spirit i.e. attitude." As stated above about the platonic chart, the Yin and Yang energies and influences are moving both ways, not just one way. Love is nothing without Will, and Will is nothing without Love.

As most people know, after Christ was pierced with the spear his blood was caught within the "Holy Grail." Let's understand this from a purely symbolic standpoint. The same applies to the rest of the bible, of course, but this part in particular is important as it's a metaphor of the masculine and feminine polarity and the seeming "pains" that can arise out of the antagonisms of that perceived polarity.

This the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all. - ch1 v30 of the Book of the Law

The Spear piercing the side of Christ is partly symbolic of the singular, individual mind becoming immersed or "dipped" into a wider reality, the encapsulating feminine being the morphic field and the morphogenetic universe. One might also understand this symbolism in terms of Air signs of the Zodiac flowing into Water signs, or Swords dipping into Cups. Within the round of our year, Air signs always move into Water signs, which is symbolic of the mind "surrendering," in a sense, to the "water" of the great wilderness being the creative world of Briah, the all encapsulating nature of the morphic field. This dynamic is shown throughout the Tarot itself in various ways. For example The Hanged Man card which has the number 12 and is the pivot or balance between the Air sign of Libra (11) and the Water sign of Scorpio (13). The Hanged Man "suffers" as the sharpness of the individual mind is submerged underwater and becomes more fully connected to the whole (as if it was separate in the first place, which is perfectly symbolic of the minds connection to and influence upon the morphic field). Another example is seen in the Lover's card which corresponds to the Air sign of Gemini:

Within the Hermetic arrangement of the Tree of Life, the path of the Lovers connects the spheres of Binah (The Great Mother, The Great Sea, etc) and Tipareth (the hub of Yetzirah being the airy, mental world of Kabbalah). The Hebrew letter attributed to the Lovers is Zayin, meaning "sword" and "armor." We see much embracing and mixing of polarities implying balance and harmony in this card. In one way it represents communication, that is the echoing of one's thoughts within and throughout the whole. The Sign of Gemini (which the Lovers card is attributed to) is opposite of Galactic Center, which means it is in the direction of deep space away from the center. In other words, it represents the Abyss. Here we see the duality of Gemini, the inner and the outer, and how Gemini acts as a mirror of sorts. Many people are familiar with the phrase "if you look into the abyss you will only see yourself." It's as if the abyss is a mirror, but many may become terrified of that mirror. This is what Gemini represents and why the Hebrew letter Zayin which is attributed to the Lovers card means both "sword" and "armor." You may pierce into the abyss and discover many important things, yes, but you may also need to shield yourself from it. Both are necessary for balance and sanity within this world of dualities. Certain walls that are built within people to protect their conscious minds from the "depth field" of the subconscious with all it's buried hurts and traumas are absolutely necessary, and it can be very dangerous to tear down those natural barriers even if the intention is to "heal."

The male figure is holding a spear and the female figure is holding a cup with the 'dove of peace' pictured on it. On the male's cloak there are serpents and on the female's cloak there are bees (see the Venus section of the planets page and also this post I made on the syncromysticism forum). The child of the male figure on the left is grasping the feminine Cup or Graal, and the child of the female figure on the right is grasping the masculine spear. This shows that only through polarity can we really know anything. One cannot know black unless one also knows white, and one cannot know pain unless one also knows pleasure. But, as Alan Watts discusses in this talk, the extreme of polarities or dualities is an illusion as there is a third "transcendental" point of understanding between them. In terms of black & white this would be grey, and everyone knows that when dealing with certain subjects there is always a lot of "grey area" to be taken into account in our processes of compartmentalization and association. Love is what ultimately binds all things into unity and harmony. As it is stated; "Love is the Law, Love under Will." Anyone familiar with the philosophy and spirituality of Thelema, which is largely based on the Book of the Law, knows that it is important to discover your personal Will and to actualize that Will within the Universe. This Will is the "I" of the formula IO. Anything that is done without the aim of Love, Understanding, and the all inclusive embrace of the feminine, is doomed to futile exclusivity, tyranny and deviation from the course of creation. This "aim" is symbolized by Cupid pictured in the top of the Lover's card whose arrows "pierce the heart" causing one to fall in love. This act of piercing is reminiscent of the spear piercing the side of Christ upon the Cross. The Cross itself is symbolic of dualities as discussed on the Cross of Elements page. It is painful and Saturnian, but out of those seeming extremes comes integration and harmony within the whole. The more whole each Individual becomes, the more whole the whole becomes, so to speak.